Advising Information

The 4-year plan below is one pathway through the major. As you plan your own pathway keep in mind:

• PSYC 101 can be taken as late as spring of sophomore year.
• PSYC 200 should be taken no later than fall of junior year.
• PSYC 201 should be taken no later than spring of junior year.
• 300-level Fundamentals courses can be taken prior to or concurrent with PSYC 200.
• Directed Research counts toward the elective requirement.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Psychology major. Students with a 4 or 5 on the AP Psychology exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB Psychology exam are not eligible for Psych 101 and will typically start their studies with PSYC 200.

Sample 4-Year Plan

	Fall	Spring
Year 1	Fall FYS course PSYC 101 (CPMS) Foreign Language (4 or 5 units) Core Requirement (4 units)	Spring FYS course PSYC 200 (CPMS) Core Requirement (4 units) General Elective (4 units)
Year 2	PSYC 201 Core Requirement (4 units) Core Requirement (4 units) General Elective (4 units)	Fundamental Domain Core Requirement (4 units) Core Requirement (4 units) General Elective (4 units)
Year 3	Fundamental Domain Fundamental Domain General Elective (4 units) General Elective (4 units)	400-level Fundamental Domain PSYC Elective General Elective (4 units) General Elective (4 units)
Year 4	Fundamental Domain 400-level PSYC Elective General Elective (4 units) General Elective (4 units)	Fundamental Domain PSYC Elective General Elective (4 units) General Elective (4 units)

Directed Research

• Directed Research can be used for all eight units of elective credit, ideally as two-unit courses taken over four semesters.
• Any student who has taken PSYC 101 is eligible to take PSYC 295.
• PSYC 295 and PSYC 395 can each be taken twice and can be taken with the same professor or a different professor.
• Students can also take more than one section of PSYC 295 or 395 in the same semester if working with multiple professors.
• Students can pursue research over the summer as part of the URC SRP; students who have had previous research experience are stronger applicants to this program.
• Students might also consider pursuing summer research opportunities at other institutions.

Psychology Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: PSYC 101 + 4 additional courses

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

• Transfer students intending to pursue Psychology should have already completed a course equivalent to PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology or taken the AP Psychology exam and received a score of 4 or 5.

• Transfer students should come in having met as many Core requirements as possible. Depending on how many psychology courses they still need to complete, they may not have room for many Core requirement courses while at Occidental.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

• Students who transfer Statistics can complete the second-stage writing requirement (normally completed in PSYC 201: Statistics) with an APA-formatted paper written for another class.

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

• In their first semester, transfer students should enroll in PSYC 200: Methods in Psychological Science. If they have already completed an approved methods course, they should take PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science. If they have taken both an approved methods course and an approved statistics course, they should consult with their adviser on the appropriate course(s) to take.